Been Here All Along
by Moluvsnumber17
Summary: Sookie goes with Sam to his brother's wedding, but as usual, trouble seems to have followed.
1. Chapter 1

**Description- Sookie goes with Sam to his brother's wedding, but as usual, trouble seems to have followed.**

**Disclaimer- All characters and previously developed plot lines belong to Charlene Harris.**

**A/N- I got this idea in my head when a friend and I were discussing who we thought Sookie might end up with in the books and this is one theory that I came up with.**

**Chapter 1**

**A/N- So I should probably point out that I don't know what Sam's mother's name is. I don't know if it was mentioned, but if it was I forgot it and couldn't find it in the books. So I just named her myself. I also named Mindy's husband and kids. **

I stared out the window of the pickup truck.

It was nice to be going somewhere without having a job to do, a job that usually ended me beat up or worse. No, this was going to be a fun trip. When I'd agreed to go with Sam to his brother Craig's wedding a few months before, I hadn't really been one hundred percent sure I would get to go. As it were, I had been almost ninety percent sure Eric, my vampire husband, wouldn't have allowed it. Whether it be because he wanted to keep me safe, had a job for me to do or simply because he was jealous, though he would never admit _that_, I'd thought for sure the sheriff of Area Five would tie me down and lock me up before he let me take off across state lines with my boss. He'd surprised me; however, when he'd actually encouraged me to go.

"It will be good for you to get away," he'd said in his deep, slightly accented voice.

I knew my vampire lover well enough to know there was a hidden meaning in his words. Something was happening in Louisiana that he didn't want me to know about or something he wanted to get me away from. A part of me, truthfully a large part, wanted to stay right there in Bon Temps and confront whatever it was head on. But my guilt had inevitably won over. I'd promised Sam after all, and giving the excuse that I had to find out what Eric was hiding would never go over well with him. Sam is a nice guy, the nicest guy I know, and he would say he understood, but I knew that he would be disappointed and maybe even a little hurt if I didn't go. And since Eric had given the okay, I had no choice but to follow through on my word.

And it wasn't like I didn't _want_ to go to the wedding. It had to be better than the last few I'd been to. I inwardly shuddered at the thought of Crystal, my brother Jason's recently deceased wife. She been strung up and beaten to death not long after they were wed. The worst part about all of it was that she had been pregnant. Jason was healing fine enough, but I still couldn't get the picture of the girl hanging there out of my mind. I had been against that wedding in the biggest of ways, especially when I'd had to promise to be responsible for Jason. That was a job that no person wanted. And the fact that he'd been marrying a girl from Hot Shot, a town full of inbred were-panthers, had been a little too much.

Yes, this wedding would be better. It had to be.

I found myself wondering what Sam's family would be like. His mother was a shifter like him, and since the great reveal, they'd experienced some problems of their own. Sam's step father had tried to kill his mother when she'd shown him what she could do. He was now in prison and their divorce was final, but that didn't make what he did any less painful for Sam's mother. Her own husband had tried to kill her. Sam's siblings had taken the news a little better. He'd since revealed to them that he too was a shifter. At first his future sister-in-law and her family weren't sure that they could handle this news and the wedding had been put on hold, but now they seemed to be adjusting along with the others and were seemingly ready to be kin to the supernatural, once they found out there was absolutely no way the "condition" could be passed on to their grandchildren.

I knew that this bothered Sam and his mother. I'd told him before that they shouldn't worry about what other people thought of them and that they weren't any less human than I was. Maybe everyone had a bit of supernatural in them somewhere. I was an eight fairy, something that made me irresistible to vampires. I often wondered if that was what Eric and Bill had found so intriguing about me. At least I knew that wasn't why Sam liked me; fairies had no such allure to shifters. Sure, full blooded fairies were attractive to everyone, but their blood was what called to the vampires.

I glanced at the sign that read Hale County as we passed it. Population 38,408. Wright, Texas was no small town. We passed gas stations, grocery stores and even a mall on our way to Sam's mother's house. That was where we would be staying for the weekend. I'd insisted that I didn't want to be a bother by taking up room in her home, but Sam said she wouldn't have us staying in a hotel. Her son was coming to visit her and she wanted to see him as much as she could. But that was understandable, what with him living over nine hours away.

It had taken us longer than nine hours to get to Wright. We'd stopped for breakfast and lunch, since we'd left Bon Temps around seven that morning, and we'd made several stops for bathroom breaks. It was almost seven p.m. when we pulled into the gravel driveway. After so many hours sitting in Sam's truck, I was more than ready to get out and stretch my legs. My injuries, including the ones on my thighs, had all but healed now, only leaving behind a few scars. I shuddered as I thought about how I'd gotten them.

Sam made it out of the truck before I did and pulled our bags from the tool box in the back. I offered to carry my own, but his manly pride wouldn't allow such a thing. Men were supposed to carry the bags. I just rolled my eyes and followed him to the front door.

"I warn you," he said. "My mother is a hugger."

"That's okay," I replied with a smile. "So am I."

He gave me an endearing look and then knocked on the door.

I readied myself for what I knew was coming. Everyone would assume that I was Sam's girlfriend but I'd already prepared what I would say. 'We're just good friends. Sam's like my best friend.' It was cliché and lame but it would have to do. They would want to know where his real girlfriend was but I figured I'd let Sam handle that one. The truth of the matter was that his real girlfriend, Jannalynn, was a werewolf and he hadn't wanted to bring her because two supernaturals were probably enough for his future relatives to handle. Jannalynn is also, at least in my opinion, more than a little rough around the edges. And I'm not just saying that because I don't particularly like her. Sam had also mentioned once that he didn't think his mother would like her either. I thought this was a sign that she wasn't right for him, but had kept my mouth shut on the matter. His love life was none of my business.

I also prepared myself mentally. I had learned to wall out other people's thoughts pretty well, unless they were just big time projectors, like Amelia. I had my wall put firmly in place now. The last thing I wanted or needed was to know what Sam's family really thought of me, and of each other.

The door opened to reveal a woman who couldn't have been far off from my own age. She was pretty, having reddish-blonde hair just like Sam. 'This must be Mindy,' I thought. Mindy was Sam's younger sister. She was a year older than me, I thought I had recalled Sam telling me, and was married with two children. When Sam and his mother had revealed to the family that they were shifters, Mindy had taken it better than anyone. She was smiling brightly at us and I could tell already that I liked her.

"Sam, it's so good to see you." She reached out and gave her brother a hug.

"It's good to see you, too," he replied, returning the hug with a smile.

"And you must be…" Mindy broke off with a look at me.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse," I said, reaching out my hand.

She took it and kept smiling at me. "It's nice to meet you, Sookie Stackhouse. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Mindy, Sam's sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I told her, meaning it.

She kept her smile in place as she ushered us into the house. "Everybody's out back."

I wondered briefly about her 'I've heard a lot about you' comment, but stored it in the back of my mind for later. Right now it was time to meet the rest of the family. We walked through the house, stopping so Sam could lay our bags by the stairs, before heading into the back yard.

There were several people scattered about the small enclosed area. As we stepped through the sliding glass doors, I saw a man off to the side by the grill. He turned to greet us as we stepped out and I knew just by looking at him, much like I had known by seeing Mindy, that this was Craig. There was no denying the three were siblings.

Another man was standing ten feet away holding a football in his hands. There were two small children standing in front of him. He was trying to teach them the rules of the game, it looked like. Mindy identified him as her husband, David. Her two kids, Peter and Ava, were not taking too well to what their father was telling them. They were simply trying to play keep away from him with the ball. Lastly, I spotted two more women seated in lawn chairs off to the side. One of them looked younger than Mindy and I. She had dark brown hair and carefully tanned skin. I took her to be Deidra, Craig's fiancée. And then of course, there was Sam's mom. She looked to be in her early 50's, though I thought she was probably older than that. Her light hair was streaked with grey but her eyes still held a sense of youth in them. She stood up when she saw us coming.

"Sam," she greeted her son with a hug, much as his sister had.

"Hey mom."

He looked genuinely happy to see his family and I was glad for him. And more than that, I was glad to be here, too.

When Sam stepped back from his mother, she turned her gaze to me. "You must be Sookie. It's wonderful to meet you, dear."

"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am."

She reached out to hug me, as I expected. "Don't call me ma'am," she said jokingly. "It makes me sound old. You can call me Rose."

I smiled at her, deciding she reminded me of my Gran in way. I couldn't imagine how anyone would want to hurt this woman, even if she did turn into an animal on the full moon. There was something wrong with people in this world.

"The burgers are almost ready," Craig announced from his position in front of the grill.

Sam's mother led me to a seat beside her and shooed him away, informing him that it was time for the ladies to talk. It made me a little nervous to be alone with three women I didn't even know, especially when it was possible that they thought I was dating the man who'd just given me a sympathetic look and walked towards his brother. Mindy had taken a seat on the other side of me and Deidra was next to Rose.

"So, Sookie," Mindy began. "Tell us about yourself."

I started to say that I thought she'd already heard all about me, but then realized that maybe that wasn't true. Maybe Sam had told them about his girlfriend and since he'd brought me with him, they assumed that person was I instead of Jannalynn. "There's not much to tell." I told them how I worked at Merlotte's and how I had one brother, who drove me crazy at times. I told them some details about what had happened to the rest of my family, being sure to leave out all of the supernatural elements, mostly for Deidra's benefit. It was clear that she wasn't completely comfortable with it all yet.

"I'm sorry about your parents and your grandmother," Rose said. "It sounds like you were close to them."

I nodded. "Yes. Especially my gran. She practically raised me and Jason."

"Well, she sounds like an amazing woman."

"She was."

Rose patted me on the leg. "She did a wonderful job. You are just as great as my son said you were."

I felt my cheeks redden, even though a part of me still didn't think he'd actually told them about _me_. Rose seemed pleased that she'd embarrassed me.

"Don't worry," Mindy told me. "She dotes on everyone she likes. And you'd know if she didn't like you, too."

"Well, there's no point in withholding the truth from people," Rose said. Her face took on a look of regret. "That's one thing I've learned."

I knew she was referring to her shifter secret. I glanced at Mindy and then at Deidra. Mindy was just smiling thoughtfully. Deidra tried to smile, too. Hey, at least she was trying.

"It's okay, mom," Mindy said. "We all understand why you didn't tell us about that."

"Yes," Deidra piped in. "We do." It was the first time I'd heard her speak, but she sounded sincere. "I'm really sorry for the problems my family and I caused because of it. We were wrong."

Rose looked stunned and also delighted. I realized I had just witnessed an important moment for these two women. It had taken months, but Deidra was finally okay with marrying into a family that wasn't, by general standards, normal. She smiled at Rose and Rose smiled back, taking her hand.

"I knew I always liked you," she said.

"And I like you," Deidra said.

I found myself smiling right along with them. It was good to see these people happy. Even though I barely knew them, I'd felt the most at home sitting here with them, then I'd felt in a long time.

I thought briefly that it was good Jannalynn _wasn't_ here. She wouldn't have appreciated what had just happened. She may have even scoffed and rolled her eyes. No, Rose wouldn't like her. In fact, none of them would. I felt a hint of vindictive satisfaction that startled me. I was taking this not liking Jannalynn thing to a whole new level.

No one asked me if I knew about shifters. They must have assumed Sam told me because the conversation shifted to an entirely new subject. The wedding of course. Deidra admitted to being nervous to stand in front of a whole church full of people, she'd always had stage fright. After wedding talk, we discussed Mindy's kids. Her oldest, Peter, was starting pre-k soon and she wasn't sure how well he was going to handle it. He was a bit of an independent who didn't take well to being told what to do.

While we were talking about kids, I thought of Hunter. I wondered how he was doing. He would be starting school soon and it would be even harder for him to adjust than most kids. He had telepathic abilities like mine. Being able to read the minds of your classmates would surely make way for disaster. I'd been helping him as much as I could, but I couldn't always be around for him.

"I want at least three," Deidra was saying.

"Oh, you'll change your mind after two. Trust me," Mindy said with a laugh.

"I handled three just fine," Rose told them. "Though there were times I thought of sending Craig to Aunt Jean's to live."

That earned a chuckle from everyone. My gaze had drifted to the Peter and his little sister Ava. They were still playing with the football, only now it was Sam they were playing keep away with. David had taken up position lounging in a chair on the concrete slab near the house doors, drinking a beer. Sam chased the kids in a circle and when he finally managed to catch Ava, he swung her around in a circle before putting her down and going for Peter, whom she had thrown the ball to.

Mindy, having followed my gaze, tapped me on the arm. "What about you, Sookie? How many kids do you want?"

I snapped out of my reverie and shrugged. "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it."

"Oh, come on. We've all thought about it. Even if the number is zero."

Truthfully, I had thought about it. I'd had my life planned out when I was just a little girl, but as things stood now, I wasn't sure I'd ever have any children. After all, vampires couldn't procreate.

They were all looking at me, awaiting my answer. I glanced around at all of them and then back at Sam and the kids running around in the yard. "Two," I said finally.

Rose and Mindy both looked pleased. "Sam would make a great dad," Rose said.

"Yes, he would," I agreed.

* * *

><p>After dinner, Deidra and Craig headed out. Tonight was their last night together before they would be husband and wife. The wedding was scheduled for late Saturday afternoon but tomorrow night was the rehearsal dinner after which Deidra intended to spend the night with her bridesmaids. Sam had decided he would take Craig out for a few drinks after the rehearsal as well, since he'd missed the official bachelor party.<p>

Mindy, David and the kids left around nine, which left Sam, Rose and I. We were sitting in the living room, Sam talking about the bar and how things were going. He was sugar coating his situation to her. I knew the bar had been having problems lately, and Sam was having some financial troubles himself. After a while, I felt myself yawning. It must have been the long car ride.

"Sookie, dear, you look so tired. Why don't you go on upstairs and get some rest?"

I wanted to protest, but instead I covered my mouth as I yawned again.

"Sam, you get that girl to bed," she instructed him. "And don't worry, I have thick walls," she said to me.

I coughed and felt my cheeks get hot for the tenth time since I'd arrived. My reaction didn't seem to bother Sam's mother in the least. She simply stood up from the couch and headed towards the stairs.

"I've got some extra blankets if you all need some. Let me just get them for you."

When she was out of earshot, Sam turned to me. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. I like your mom." And I really meant that. I did like her. A lot. Even if she did find amusement in embarrassing me.

"I should have told her you weren't my girlfriend but I…" He tried to smile at me. "I'll tell her tomorrow."

I should have argued. I should have demanded that he tell her right then, but there was something stopping me. A nagging feeling. One that was urging me to keep up the charade. I told myself it would be better for Sam because if his family knew who his real girlfriend was, they might disown him, but there was another reason.

_This might be your only chance_, a voice in the back of mind said. _This is the closest you will ever come to being a part of a relatively normal family._ And I wanted to hold onto it, as long as I could.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sam slept on the floor, for which I was grateful. It would be easy to withhold some details of this weekend from Eric, but if I ever were to spill the beans, accidentally or otherwise, on us sleeping in the same bed, there would be hell to pay. Probably on Sam's face.

My lover had called me earlier to make sure I was alright, even though he hadn't felt anything unusual through the bond. He'd sounded distracted and I had to bite my tongue to keep from demanding he tell me what was going on with him. I reasoned with myself that I would probably find out soon enough, though I wasn't sure I even wanted to know.

It was a little ridiculous that there were two other bedrooms in the house and Sam was on the floor in this one, but when he'd mentioned sleeping in a separate room from me, Rose had informed him that she'd piled boxes in his siblings' old bedrooms and it was too late for moving things and the couch was far from comfortable. She thought she was feeding the romance, but in reality, she'd only ensured Sam awoke with a sore neck and back.

I'd told him I would take the floor the next night, but he'd refused, pointing out that he would tell her the truth so no one had to. Strangely, I felt a little disappointment at that thought, not of not having to sleep on the floor, but having her know the truth. She really seemed to like me and I was afraid she'd be upset that I'd lied to her. Or rather, that I had withheld the truth. I hadn't actually _told_ anyone I was Sam's girlfriend.

"So," I asked Sam after he'd gotten up from the floor and had seated himself on the bed beside me. "Am I the first girl to spend the night in your bedroom?"

I looked around at the small room that had been his as a child. The only furniture it held was the twin sized bed, a set of dresser drawers, and a small desk. There weren't any posters on the brown paneled walls, but there were a few trophies sitting on a long wooden shelf.

"Nope. Like my mother said, these are thick walls."

I laughed at his joke as I scanned the trophies. "You played sports?"

He followed my gaze. "Yeah," he replied. "I played football in high school."

"Really? I never took you for the type."

"It was a long time ago," he said, with a hint of sadness.

I looked over at him and then took his hand. "I didn't mean it like that."

He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "It's alright. I wasn't really that good."

I laughed lightly and then his eyes met mine. The humor seemed to have left the room and was now replaced by… something else. Something I couldn't identify. Something I wasn't sure I should identify. I could feel my heart beat speed up a notch and I willed it to stop. I became vaguely aware that I was still holding his hand, and that we were sitting close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

This was not good.

I'm not sure what might have happened though because in the next instant there was an angry shout coming from somewhere in the house. 'Guess the walls aren't that thick,' I immediately thought. Sam and I both jumped up off of the bed and practically ran down the stairs. My next thought was that someone or something had followed me here, and though he wouldn't say it, I was sure Sam had had a similar thought. I _was_ on the Supernatural's Most Wanted list. We were both relieved; however, when we found her in the kitchen alone, sitting on the floor, surrounded by pancake batter.

"Mom, are you alright?" Sam asked carefully.

She surprised us both by laughing. "Yes, dear, I'm fine. Just slipped." She pointed at a toy car a few feet away. "Peter doesn't clean up after himself the way he should."

Sam reached out to help her up. Once she was on her feet, she shook her head. "I'm sorry for yelling," she said. "I've gotten quite used to being by myself in the mornings. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

Sam and I shared a look and seemed to both realize we were still in our pjs. I folded my arms self consciously across my chest. At least Sam was wearing a shirt, though I personally wouldn't have minded if he hadn't been.

"No, we were just getting up," Sam said.

Rose smiled sweetly. "In that case, why don't you two get showered and dressed and I'll have breakfast done when you get ready."

After we'd taken her advice, showered and put our clothes on (not together I might add), we returned to the kitchen for bacon, eggs, and pancakes. About the time we were finishing up, Mindy, David and the kids arrived. Rose was set to watch Ava and Peter whilst the rest of us went to help decorate the church and reception hall. Because of other scheduled events, they hadn't been able to get anything set up yet. The rehearsal dinner would take place at Hampton's, a local upscale restaurant in the area, so we didn't have to worry about that. But Deidra's mother wanted everything for the actual wedding, all but the food and flowers, to be finished today. 'There was no sense,' she'd said, 'in waiting until the last minute and then rushing to get everything done.' Which was true enough.

Though Sam and Mindy both told me I didn't have to help, I'd wanted to. It felt good to make myself useful, and it was the least I could do for the free room and meals I was receiving. Gran had always taught me that it was better to give than receive and you should always do what you could to help others that are good to you. I spent most of the day alongside Mindy and Sarah, Deidra's best friend and maid of honor, making and hanging bows. I didn't think I'd ever seen so many in one place before, but it actually looked good. All of the bows were a pale yellow and were hung on the end of every pew. Making the bows wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, but it still took me nearly thirty minutes on each one I constructed. Kate, Deidra's mother, had insisted on making the bows ourselves to save money, and so she could make sure they were what she wanted. After spending some time around Kate, I started to understand how she might have a problem with Rose. They were nothing alike and she also seemed like she had something shoved where the sun would never find it.

I just smiled my big smile at her when she criticized my first bow and made me start it all over, but Mindy was having a harder time dealing with her criticism. She'd been on the verge of telling her off more than once. Luckily, Sarah was a sweetheart, and managed to defend us without offending Kate. It was easy to see that she wasn't the older woman's biggest fan, but Sarah had had a lifetime to get used to her. I didn't think that if we both had the lifespan of a vampire that I would get used to her. I decided then it was a good thing I had blocked out all of their thoughts.

Sure, I got something every now and then. _Wedding will be beautiful. Wonder how the kids are. Making bows sucks. Caterers better be on time._ But I was mostly managing to hear only my own thoughts.

The church was an older structure, built in the late 1800's, adorned with stained glass windows and gothic-esque arches and design patterns. A giant organ took up the entire back wall. It was a beautiful place, perfect for a wedding, especially once we'd decorated it with bows, taffeta, and lace. Once the flowers were in place, it would look like something out of a fairy tale. The inside was very spacious, which made me wonder how many people were going to be in attendance. I'd asked Mindy, who said they'd sent out nearly 300 invitations. I didn't think that I even knew that many people to invite to my own wedding, if I ever had one.

The reception hall, moving tables and the lot, had been left to the men. White tablecloths adorned most of the tables, except the food tables, which also had a pale yellow cloth lying in its center. The table chairs were covered with white fabric as well, with thick yellow ribbons tied around their centers into a bow on the back. Kate and Deidra's friend Whitney had constructed center pieces for each of the tables. They were glass bowls which would be filled with water and would have yellow rose petals set to float in them. Around the bowl they had placed a sheer white fabric, which was wrapped around clear lights that would be lit up tomorrow. The simple decorations were beautiful, but struck me as odd. They managed to find the fanciest place in town to get married, but had rather simple decorations.

I'd also mentioned _that_ to Mindy. She said Deidra had only agreed to the place because it's what her mother wanted. She would have preferred a small outdoor wedding, which sounded good to me. Deidra actually had simple tastes.

We finally finished everything around five, and went home to change into our clothes for the evening's festivities. I still felt a little strange about attending the rehearsal, since I was the only one there who wasn't actually in the wedding party. I watched them from the 5th row while they ran through the ceremony. More than a couple of times, Sam made a face at me that would make me laugh, quietly of course.

Everything had gone smoothly until Erika, the only bridesmaid who hadn't been helping set up earlier, suddenly bolted for the door. I offered to check on her so the others could continue with the rehearsal. I found her puking in the bathroom. She left shortly after that, saying she hadn't been feeling good all day and needed to see a doctor.

After they'd run through the ceremony twice, we all headed to Hampton's. I balked once when Deidra had introduced me as Sam's girlfriend, but quickly recovered and just smiled. Sam had said he was going to talk to his mother, but from the look on his face, he hadn't gotten around to doing that yet.

"I'm sorry," he'd whispered to me. "I can tell them now…"

But I'd shook my head no and told him not to worry about it and that having people think I was his girlfriend wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to me. That had earned me a smile.

The dinner was delicious, as it should have been for those prices. I made a mental note to pay Sam back later since he'd bought mine. After everyone had finished up, Sam turned to me.

"David and I are taking Craig for some drinks to celebrate. You're welcome to join us."

"That's alright," I told him. "Mindy already invited me back to her house. She said we needed to let you have your male bonding time."

He laughed lightly. "Well, alright then." He surprised me by leaning in and placing a kiss on my cheek before standing up. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," I replied, looking after them as they exited.

"It's great, isn't it?" Rose had taken the empty seat beside me.

"What's that?"

"Young love." She looked happily reminiscent and I wondered if she was thinking about Sam's father, her first husband. "Don't take it for granted."

I tried to smile at her. "I won't."

She looked pleased by my answer. "Good."

Sam slept on the floor again that night.

* * *

><p>The caterers and the florist had arrived on time, much to the relief of the mother of the bride. And to the rest of us so we didn't have to hear her complain about it. If it was possible, the church looked even more beautiful with the white and yellow roses placed near the altar.<p>

I was standing at the back of the church when I felt the hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Craig standing there.

"Hey," I greeted him.

He nodded his hello with a smile, but he looked stressed. "Deidra is asking for you," he told me.

"Me?" I replied, confused. Why on earth would she be asking for me? Didn't she have enough people helping her get ready?

He shrugged. "Apparently there's some sort of dilemma." He was still attempting to come off as calm and collected.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You're gonna be fine."

He half smiled. "Thanks."

I started to walk toward the dressing room when I heard him call my name.

"I can see why my brother likes you," he said. "It's a good thing I'm getting married or I might try to steal you away."

I returned his truly genuine smile and made my way to where the bride and her side of the wedding party were getting dressed. I knew right away that something was wrong.

"Oh, Sookie, thank God you're here. Erika has a serious stomach bug. She's not going to be able to make it," Deidra blurted out as soon as she saw me step into the room.

I could almost feel the words leaving her mouth before she spoke them. She approached me slowly.

"I hate to ask, and I know we just met, but… would you please be a bridesmaid in my wedding?"

Deidra had one of the most hopeful, pleading looks on her face that I had ever seen. She hadn't been a bridezilla by any means, but every woman wanted her wedding to be perfect and now one of her bridesmaids had backed out on her. She was almost pouting. How could I say no to that face?

"Sure, I'd be honored."

She smiled a bright smile and immediately embraced me in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She pulled back, holding me at arm's length. "I owe you one. Hell, I'll be in your wedding some day if you want me to."

She seemed utterly serious in her statement. I could only nod my head and smile big at her. It was obvious she assumed that wedding would be to her future brother-in-law. I could have taken that opportunity to set her straight, let them all know Sam and I were just friends. But the words wouldn't even form in my mouth.

Deidra thanked me again and asked Mindy if she would help me try on my dress while Sarah finished her hair. Mindy agreed and the bride-to-be hurried into the adjoining room. She would have plenty of time, I was sure, to finish getting dressed. The wedding wasn't for four more hours, but what did I know about dressing for weddings? This would be the first one I'd ever been a part of. Unless you counted Jason's, which I didn't.

There was a bit of excitement that filled me at the thought. I loved watching those wedding shows on _TLC_ and had always dreamed of taking part in one.

"My brother's a great guy." Mindy had picked up a pale yellow dress and was holding it up for me to see.

"I know he is," I replied, knowing she wasn't talking about Craig. It didn't take a scholar to figure out what she _was_ hinting at. Deidra's comment had not gone unnoticed by her.

"I know you two aren't really dating," she said, surprising me. "Sam told me."

"Oh?" I hadn't realized he'd actually told anyone. His mom had been acting the same towards me last I saw her.

"Uhuh. But I see the way he looks at you." Mindy held the dress up to me, as if checking to see how she thought it would look.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She looked at me thoughtfully. "Sookie, he's completely in love with you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I gaped at Mindy. I had heard her wrong, surely.

"Don't look at me like that," she said. "As if you had no idea. You two have been acting like a couple all weekend, fooling everyone, I might add."

I could tell that she was completely serious. But for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything to say.

After a moment, she smiled at me. "I like you, Sookie. And so does the rest of the family. I know you two aren't really together, but they don't." She paused as if trying to find the right words. "I'm not asking you date my brother, but my mom has been through a lot in the past few months. It would be really great if you could keep up the act… at least for the next few hours. Seeing Sam happy, it makes her happy."

So he hadn't told everyone, just Mindy. "I'm sure that she's just happy for Deidra and Craig," I tried to reason with her. After all, it was their wedding we were attending.

"She is happy for them. But Craig's been happy for most of his life. Sam…" she trailed off, seeming to realize that she'd said too much. "Maybe I'm wrong," she said after a minute. "Maybe Sam does love this other girl he's seeing, but he's never even told us her name. But you… he told us all about you when he came to see mom after the great revelation disaster."

I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that Sam could possibly be in love with me. He _had_ admitted to liking me and wanting to be with me before, but that had been a while back, and nothing had ever come of it. Of course, I'd still been in love with Bill at the time. But even after that, I remembered, he'd kissed me. A kiss I remembered very clearly. But nothing had ever come of that either. But then there was Quinn and then Eric. It seemed like any chance he'd ever taken with me had had the worst possible timing. But he'd always been good to me.

And he'd talked about me to his family. When Mindy had first told me she'd heard all about me, I'd assumed she hadn't really meant _me_ me. I just thought he'd told them about his girlfriend, the person they thought I was. But now it seemed that he'd actually told them about me, Sookie. And no, he hadn't told them we were dating; they had just drawn their own conclusions. Ideas that I had been feeding into for the entire two days I had been here.

I hadn't meant to act like his girlfriend. And it wasn't like we'd shared many public displays of affection, but I'd gained the admiration of Sam's mother, made friends with his brother and sister and had even found myself a part of the wedding. None of it had been planned, but somehow I'd fallen into the role, with a greater ease than I should have.

"Are you happy, Sookie?"

I looked at Mindy, realizing I had been lost in my own thoughts. "What?"

"Are you happy?"

I didn't really know how to answer that question. Did she mean was I happy right at this very moment? Or was I happy in general? I decided on the latter. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

She shook her head, clearly not satisfied with my answer. "Do you ever think about the future? Where you wanna be in ten years, what you want to be doing?"

I nodded my head yes, taking the question as a rhetorical one, as I assumed she wanted me to do.

"I used to do that a lot. I would sit down and make a list of everything I wanted in my life, and by what age I was to have it. I even made a list of qualities in my dream guy." She laughed lightly. "It took me a long time to realize that you can't plan everything out. What's meant to happen will happen." She paused and her face took on a look of thoughtfulness. "If you would have told me ten years ago that I would be married to David, I would have thought you were insane. He didn't meet most of the criteria on my list, and besides that, he was one of my closest friends. I'd never thought about him romantically. Then one day that all changed.

I was going through some tough things in my life that I couldn't talk to anyone about. Not even my boyfriend at the time. But I found that I could talk to David. He was there for me and he understood me like no one ever had. He kissed me for the first time that night." She smiled. "I was shocked at first. I didn't know what to do. He apologized and promised me that it wouldn't happen again. But the thing was, I wanted it to. I couldn't stop thinking about it, which led me to think about all of the other things I'd always liked about him. Then I had someone ask me possibly the most important question I'd ever been asked up to that point in my life. 'What if everything you've been looking for has been right in front of you the whole time and you've just been too blind to see it? And what if you're wasting time looking for love, when it's been there all along?' And then I knew. It was David. It had always been David and I just wasn't able to see it before."

She paused again, taking in my expression, obviously wondering if she'd said too much. "Like I said before, I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just telling you how I lived mine. Everybody's story is different," she said the last part with a wave of her hand, as if to dismiss everything she'd just said as a story instead of advice.

"What size do you wear?" she asked then, cleverly changing the subject.

"Eight," I told her.

"Perfect." She held the dress up to me once again. "This will look great on you."

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><p>I looked in the mirror at my reflection, fairly pleased with my appearance. Mindy had been right. The dress did look good on me. Despite my blonde hair, the yellow seemed to complement my features. I mentally patted myself on the back for all of those hours I'd spent tanning on my front lawn.<p>

I saw his reflection in the mirror before he spoke. "Hey."

I took a deep breath, suddenly racked with a nervous feeling. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about what Mindy had said. "Hey Sam," I replied, facing him.

"You look beautiful, Sookie."

I could feel the red rising in my cheeks at his compliment. "You don't look half bad yourself," I told him.

Actually he looked better than half bad. More along the lines of gorgeous. He was dressed in black loafers, black slacks, a black vest, and a white button-up. A yellow tie, the same color as my dress, completed his outfit. His hair, which was usually an unruly mess, was slicked back in a very elegant sort of way. He looked like one of the world's most eligible bachelors. His eyes met mine and even though I knew that I should, I couldn't seem to look away.

"Are you two ready? Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

Both of us were pulled out of our trance by the voice at the door. How many times were we going to be asked that question?

Rose was standing there with a smile on her face. She was wearing a deep blue dress with ruffles running along the front in a diagonal slope. She seemed to stand tall despite the fact that she was wearing dark flats.

"Yes," Sam replied, though to which question, I wasn't sure.

His mother only smiled wider as she turned, motioning for us to follow her. "Come on then. Everyone else is waiting."

Sam offered me his arm, which I took with little hesitation, my nervousness dissipating, and led me out of the small dressing area and down the hall into the corridor at the back of the church where the rest of the wedding party, aside from Deidra, was standing.

All of the guests had been seated, the church was packed, and the mothers were being ushered in by two teenage boys.

The music began to play and a woman whom I had decided was Deidra's aunt ushered the flower girls and ring bearer out the tall double doors. The groomsmen were all dressed similar to Sam and had taken their positions beside their respective walking companions. Sam handed me off to Craig's friend Doug and stepped to the back of the line. As the best man, he would be walking with Sarah.

Whitney and Sam's cousin Nick were the first to walk down the aisle. Doug and I were to follow them. Mindy and David behind us. I felt a strange exhilaration as I walked down the aisle, making sure to have on my best smile for photos. Rose reached out to give my hand a squeeze as I passed her.

I took my place next to Whitney and watched the others make their way to the front of the church. Sam gave me one of his best smiles when he and Sarah parted and then took his position next to Craig.

Finally, the music switched to _Here Comes the Bride_ and everyone in the church stood up to face the back. Deidra's gown was white and strapless. It flared out at the hips to create an elegant, yet traditional, wedding gown look. It had only slight beading on the top, but overall the dress looked amazing on her. I looked over to Craig to see if he still looked nervous. To my surprise, he looked completely calm, and very happy. He loved her; that much was obvious.

The ceremony itself didn't last more than 15 minutes, and I found it very enjoyable. I had been right about this one being better than the last few I'd attended. After the couple exchanged vows and Craig kissed his bride, we all excited through the back of the church. The next hour was spent taking group photos and then we headed next door to the reception hall. A DJ was set up in the far corner and a large space had been left open for dancing. Caterers had brought in an assortment of the finest finger foods I had ever laid eyes upon: chicken salad sandwiches, cheese logs, fruits, sausage balls and even a chocolate fountain. Since the wedding was later in the evening, they were also serving a deliciously flavored grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, and corn. Southern cooking at its finest.

Sam and I sat with Rose, Mindy, David, and their kids. We all talked and laughed while we ate. I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Rose eventually went to mingle with more of their family while David had taken the kids to 'cut a rug' on the dance floor. I got a good laugh out of watching him. Mindy, not so subtlety, got up, giving me a wink, and left us sitting there alone.

"I told her you weren't my girlfriend," Sam whispered to me. "I don't know why she's acting like that."

"I do," I said, and then wished I hadn't. I'd just opened a can of worms, and wasn't ready to go fishing.

Sam raised an eyebrow in question. I bit my lip, wanting and not wanting at the same time to ask him about what she'd said. Could he really be in love with me? And what if he was? Did that change anything? Honestly, I didn't know. I sighed, knowing I'd never get out of this one without some explanation.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure."

"It's about something your sister said."

"Okay," he said carefully.

I took a deep breath, settling on not asking him outright. "Do you ever think about… us? I mean, do you ever wonder what might have happened if we'd ever… tried dating?"

Sam's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't say anything. I could tell by his expression that he hadn't really expected me to ask that. As I waited for him to answer me, I felt the anticipation build though I wasn't even sure what I _wanted_ him to say.

On the one hand, Sam was a great guy with a wonderful family and he could give me the life I had always dreamed of, kids, though the first born would be a shifter like him, but that would be okay. And we could get married, the kind of married that was recognized by the state of Louisiana.

But on the other hand, I _was_ still currently involved with Eric. My feelings for Eric were nothing if not confusing, but I loved him and wasn't sure I could stand to be away from him forever. And there was the blood bond. I vaguely wondered if he could feel my inner turmoil now.

"I…" Sam started to speak but didn't get anything out before the door burst open.

A large man with… scratch that… vampire stalked into the room. He was wearing all black, including a long leather coat. If he'd been wearing sunglasses, I would have sworn he was Wesley Snipes. He was also carrying a pistol that he was now pointing at everyone in the room. There were shrieks from women and a shuffle of people to step in front of their wives and children. "I'm looking for someone," he announced in a deep, chilling voice. "And if you turn her over to me, no one has to get hurt." His eyes scanned the room, as did everyone else's. They were all attempting to figure out who he wanted.

But Sam and I didn't have to look because we both already knew who this mysterious gunman was looking for.

Me.

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><p><strong>AN: We've almost reached the end of this story. Only one more chapter to go.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sookie, no." I felt Sam's hand on my arm, stopping me from standing up. "Stay here. I'll take care of this."

"Like hell," I whispered after him as he stood up.

If this _Blade_ wannabe was looking for me then I wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt.

The vampire noticed Sam's movements out of the corner of his eye. "You," he said, pointing the gun directly at Sam. "Tell me where I can find Sookie Stackhouse."

I felt all eyes turn to me. Thanks people.

Sam held up his hands as if to surrender. "Listen, maybe we could take this outside."

"Or maybe I'll just blow your fucking head off," the vampire growled.

"Don't," I said, standing.

Sam turned to give me a warning look.

"I don't want you to get hurt," I told him in explanation.

"And I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said back.

The look on his face made me melt a little on the inside, but now was not the time for dwelling on such things.

"Ms. Stackhouse, I presume," the vampire said, walking closer.

My whole body tensed and Sam positioned himself in front of me. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Well, your head on a platter, of course." He smiled, his fangs bared, pointier than they should have been.

I racked my brain in an attempt to figure out who this guy might be. Or more importantly, who this guy might be working for. I could have asked him, but he didn't seem much in the mood to chat. He'd been given a kill order, it appeared. A number of suspects flashed in my mind. There was Victor, the vampire who'd been put in charge of Louisiana after the late queen's death. He had some sort of grudge against Eric. He didn't trust my lover, in part because of his relationship with me. And then there was Sandra Pelt, the woman who had tried to kill me. She was supposedly in jail, but she could have easily picked up a phone and hired someone to come for me. Though Sandra was probably legally insane, she was right about one thing. I had killed her sister, Debbie. But what she didn't know was that it had been in self-defense. Debbie had been equally as crazy.

There were also a number of weres, fairies, and vampires who'd met me and associated me with either Eric, Bill, my fairy relatives, or Alcede, the werewolf pack master, who'd put me on their hit lists. No normal person should have so many people who want them dead.

"Give her over, shifter," the vampire hissed at Sam.

"You want her? You're gonna have to go through me."

"Sam, don't," I begged, but he ignored me. Men.

"As you wish."

I didn't even have time to react. Suddenly, the vampire was on the ground, screaming in pain. Atop him was an enormous cat, a leopard, I realized. More screaming was heard and everything started to get exceptionally chaotic. People were running around with no real place to go. The large animal was blocking the only exit. Sam had left my side to run towards the scuffle, and I was left standing alone. All of the wedding guests knew the man with the weapon wanted me and didn't want to stand in his way were he to get free. All of the guests but one.

"Sookie," Mindy called to me. "Come on. We need to get you out of here."

I gave her a truly appreciative glance but shook my head no. I couldn't risk her getting injured or worse because of me. She wasn't just Sam's sister, she was also a mother, and that made her life much more important than mine.

I heard a loud crash and looked to see that the vampire had thrown the leopard off of him and into the gift table. Sam was on him in an instant. He got a few good hits in before the vampire threw a punch into the side of his head, causing him to fall to the ground. He didn't look unconscious, just in pain. I rushed over towards them, intending to hand myself over when the leopard struck again. This time it took a nice chunk out of the vampire's arm, who cried out in pain again.

I focused my sights on getting to Sam to help him, but suddenly Sam wasn't there anymore. In the place he had been was now another leopard. I gasped as my brain seemed to register for the first time that the original animal had not been an animal at all. It had been Rose. To confirm my suspicions, I quickly looked around the room. Sure enough, Rose was nowhere to be seen. They bit and clawed at the vampire and then both grabbed a leg and pulled him out the door.

The rest of the guests were frozen in place by shock, but I wasn't. I ran out the door after them. It was a good thing the wedding was at night or the rest of the town would have gotten a show. And the last thing the shifter population needed was to be photographed or videotaped ripping apart a vampire. Vampires had little to no respect for other supernatural creatures… or humans… basically for anyone who wasn't also a vampire, and we didn't need a war starting between species.

I couldn't tell one leopard from the other, but it didn't matter because they were both people I cared about. But they seemed to have the upper hand on the vampire. He was weakening and I knew that his only desire now was to escape. Or so I thought. He managed to throw both creatures off of him, but instead of running in the other direction, he charged straight at me. He reached me in seconds and his fangs descended to my neck. But they didn't make it there because one of the leopards had bitten into his good arm.

He grabbed at his injured arm and I seized the opportunity to dart out of the way. This time the vampire did the smart thing and ran in the opposite direction. The leopards did not chase him. Something about that pleased me, despite the fact that the vampire had been trying to kill me. I'd had enough of killing and violence to last me one lifetime. One of the leopards approached me and gave me an almost apologetic look. Sam.

"It's okay," I said. "He's gone." I smiled and resisted the urge to pet him.

He had the decency not to change back in front of me. Not that I would have minded too much. Sam's body was… something I shouldn't be thinking about. When he had disappeared, probably to find some clothes, I, somewhat unwillingly, went back inside.

"Everything's fine," I announced to the room of people. "All taken care of. The crazy guy is gone."

"Did they kill him?"

The question had come from Deidra's father.

"No, they didn't kill him. But they did run him off," I told him pointedly. "They saved our lives. And you should all be nothing but grateful." I gave my best 'I dare you to argue with me' face to everyone and then went back to the table I had eaten at and sat down.

I had probably upset several people, but I didn't care. If Deidra's family couldn't handle it, that was their problem. I just hoped the Merlotte's were all okay.

"Sookie."

I glanced up to see Mindy standing there.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said before leaning down to give me a hug. "Are Sam and mom alright?"

"Yes, they're fine. Just… finding new clothes I imagine."

She nodded, looking surprisingly calm under the circumstances. "Does this kind of thing happen often?"

I wished I could say no, but I didn't think I could lie to her. "To me? Unfortunately yes."

"Oh, Sookie, that's terrible. You're so sweet. Why would anyone want to hurt you?"

This could have turned into a long story, hell, a series of books even. So I opted for telling her some of my acquaintances from home had enemies… the vampire kind. I knew she would probably change her opinion of me and might not even let Sam around her and her family anymore since he associated with me. But she just looked sympathetic.

"Well, I hope someone kills that bastard then," she said. "And maybe you should get new friends."

I laughed, actually laughed, at that.

I felt my foot vibrating and looked down at it curiously before remembering I had attached my cell phone to my shoe. I wasn't surprised to see Eric's name on the caller ID. "Hello," I answered.

"Lover, are you alright?" He sounded worried, but not overly so. He must have sensed that I was fine now.

"Yes."

"What has happened? Has the shifter hurt you in any way? I will be on my way as soon as possible to dismember him…"

"No," I said a little too loudly, cutting him off, and earning a look from Mindy. "Sam hasn't done anything to me. There was someone here… a vampire. He tried to kill me, but obviously he failed."

"You were not given proper protection. That is my fault. I have been distracted…" he broke off, clearly having no intentions of disclosing any more information on the subject.

"My protection is just fine. Sam and his mom… they took care of it." And scared the hell out of Deidra's family in the process, I added in my head. "And I'm _okay_," I said, stressing the last word.

Mindy gave me a wave to indicate she was getting up, leaving me alone to my conversation.

"I should come for you."

"No," I said again, more forcefully. "Look, I'm sure you have more important things to do then drive several hours just to pick me up. And it's pointless because I'm just fine where I am. The wedding is just finishing up and we'll be leaving here first thing in the morning."

I expected him to argue with me, or simply inform me that he was coming regardless of my wishes, but he didn't do either of those things.

"Very well," he said instead. "I will see you when you return, my lover."

I had to stop myself from asking him why he was giving up so easily. I realized that things back in Shreveport must be worse than I originally thought. Whereas a part of me really wanted to know what was going on with Eric, another part just wanted to enjoy what was left of the wedding and pretend my life was normal and that people weren't trying to kill me on a day to day basis.

I hung up my phone just as Sam was approaching me, dressed now in jeans and his traditional button up.

"Your vampire?" he asked, managing to conceal his distaste for Eric rather well.

I nodded. "Just checking up on me."

"Of course."

The DJ's voice came over the speakers announcing that the party wasn't over, or something like that, and encouraged people to get back out on the dance floor. He started playing an upbeat song I'd never heard.

My peripheral vision caught Sam's mother approaching us. She was wearing a violet dress now, with a darker shade of purple flowers dotting the fabric. She was smiling despite the situation.

"I'm sorry about your dress, Mrs.… Rose," I offered, knowing her other one must have gotten ripped when she'd transformed.

"Oh, it's alright, dear. I like this one better anyway."

"I need to find Deidra," I told them. "To apologize for ruining her wedding."

"You didn't ruin her wedding," the older woman said. "It wasn't your fault that blood sucking maniac was trying to kill you. Besides, I think it gave our snooty guests a bit of excitement. Maybe now they can pull those sticks out of their asses. And I'm sure Craig and Deidra both will look back on this and have a good laugh someday."

I tried to smile at her. Why did Sam's whole family have to be so nice to me?

"I should still talk to her. Oh," I said, suddenly remembered I owed this woman more than an apology. "Thank you for what you did. Both of you." In all of the chaos, I had somehow lost my manners. Sam and his mother had saved my life, the least I could do was say thank you. I made a mental note to send her a fruit basket.

"You don't have to thank me," she said. "Any girl who is important to my son is important to me. But you are very welcome. I'm just glad the office manager subscribes to _National Geographic._" She reached her arms out and I stepped into them without thinking. It had been a long time since I'd gotten to feel the warmth of a mother's embrace, and I could feel myself getting choked up as she hugged me. Though I'd just seen her as a wild animal, biting chunks out of a vampire, she was still one of the kindest women I'd ever met.

"I hope we'll be welcoming _you_ into the family with one of these shindigs someday," she whispered into my ear.

I felt the tears form in my eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I gripped her tighter for a moment before letting go. She pulled back to look at me, smiling.

"You'll make a beautiful bride, Sookie Stackhouse."

She gave my hands a squeeze and then threw a knowing look at her son before leaving us standing there alone.

"I'm sorry about my mom," Sam said. "She's just…"

"Amazing," I finished.

I looked over at him. He was smiling slightly. "Yes, she is."

The upbeat song came to an end and a slow ballad began to play. I watched as couples began making their way onto the dance floor, seeming to have gotten over the fear that the gunman would come back or that more exotic animals would make an appearance.

"Sookie?"

My gaze returned to my boss.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I would love to," was my immediate reply.

Sam held out his hand and I took it, letting him lead me onto the dance floor. I placed my arms around his neck and he settled his hands on my waist. We swayed in time to the music and eventually my arms fell and I settled my head on his chest. I closed my eyes and relaxed against him as the song ended and another slow one began. I'm not sure how long we stayed out there, but when I opened my eyes to gaze up at him, I realized that the music had stopped entirely. Couples were slowly parting company and the DJ had made some announcement. But I could only seem to focus on the man in front of me. The man that was holding me against his warm body and looking back at me like I was the only person in the room.

I found my gaze drifting from his eyes to his lips and back. Sam seemed to understand the silent message because his head lowered and he placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I felt a little jolt of electricity run through me in that brief moment that seemed to last forever. Then he was looking at me sympathetically. I was about to question him when I heard someone calling my name. Deidra was standing on the small stage motioning wildly for me to come over there. Sam reluctantly let me go and then smiled slightly as his new sister-in-law called my name again.

"Sookie, I'm throwing the bouquet. Get over here."

I rolled my eyes, which only made Sam smile wider. I sighed and made my way over to where a group of young girls and a few women had gathered. They all looked eager for what was about to go on. Deidra winked at me before turning her back to us.

"You ladies ready?"

A chorus of yeses sounded and I watched as Deidra looked over her shoulder and then tossed the flowers into the air.

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><p>Sam made the turn into my driveway just a little after six. We hadn't ended up leaving Wright until after eight and then had stopped for an early dinner on the way home. Though I had had a better time at Craig and Deidra's wedding than I had anticipated, vampire attack and all, it was still good to be home.<p>

I glanced down at the small assortment of roses on my lap. "Do I really have to keep this thing?" I asked.

Sam laughed. "That's what they said. Until you get married."

"Then forever."

Sam shook his head but was still smiling. "You'll get married someday, Sookie."

"I'm already married," I said. Even though I hadn't agreed to _those_ nuptials beforehand.

"Being supernaturally betrothed to a vampire hardly counts," Sam replied, not bothering to hide his distaste this time.

"To him it does."

"What about to you?"

He had stopped the car in front of my house. I noted absently that I really needed to paint my porch.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I mean, when I'm around other vampires, I want it to be real because it's basically like I have a do not touch sign plastered on my forehead."

"And when you're not with vampires?"

"I still feel like me. Single Sookie Stackhouse, the girl who's almost thirty and still not married." I had to admit, it felt good to say that out loud.

"Well, I'm over thirty and still not married," Sam said, nudging me. "It doesn't mean it won't ever happen."

"Maybe you're right."

"Always am."

I gave him a genuine smile and a peck on the cheek. Then I opened my door and stepped out. "I'll see you Tuesday," I told him. Then I shut the door and grabbed my bag from the truck bed. I started making my way towards the house when his voice stopped me.

"Sookie," he called after me.

I turned and walked back to the truck. Sam had rolled the window down.

"There is something else." He paused, maybe for dramatic effect. "To answer your question…"

He didn't have to elaborate. I knew exactly which question he was referring to, and it wasn't when I'd asked him for the day off tomorrow.

"Yes. All the time." He gave me a small smile, one that I returned sincerely.

After his truck pulled out of my driveway, I continued to stand there on the porch, thinking. It was nearly sunset, which meant soon Eric would be rising. I would know the instant that happened of course, thanks to the blood bond. I briefly wondered if Amelia had found anything on that and reasoned that I would give her a quick call. There were no other cars in the driveway, which meant my fairy cousin and great uncle weren't home. They must have been at Hooligan's already.

I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. My head jerked in that direction, but I hadn't felt any other presences, and I'd gotten really good at using my abilities to scope out my surroundings. I had let down my wall as soon as we'd left Sam's mother's house, so I would have caught at least a hint of activity. Could the vampire have followed us? Unlikely, but not impossible. The tenseness in my body dissipated as I realized that it was just the swing on my porch.

My gaze drifted back towards the road, though I could not see it from where I stood. Sam would be on his way to see Jannalynn probably. I realized that this should not bother me, but it did. It was simply because I didn't like her, I told myself. What else would it be?

I turned to go into my house, prepared to sit on my sofa and watch television until Eric inevitably arrived. He hadn't called me since the night before, which was no surprise since he would be out for the day, but I knew he would be here. And when he arrived, I would ask him about all of the secrecy and weird behavior that worried me. Despite that, I found myself looking forward to seeing him. I loved Eric and I wanted to be with him.

But even still, there was a thought, somewhere in the back of my mind. Words that had been spoken to me, echoing.

_What if everything you've been looking for has been right in front of you the whole time and you've just been too blind to see it? What if you're wasting time looking for love, when it's been there all along?_

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the story. I hope you enjoyed it.**


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